Damian Lillard wants to bring a championship to the Portland Trail Blazers. But it hasn’t happened yet, and the Blazers didn’t even make the postseason for the second year in a row. 

Now NBA pundits are wondering if the team’s best course of action is to blow the whole thing up – and a rebuild begins with trading the seven-time All-Star guard. The Blazers could get a king’s ransom for Lillard, who averaged a whopping 32.2 ppg this past season, along with 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists. 

Lillard recently posted a not-so-cryptic tweet that if he's no longer wanted in Portland, he's fine being traded. Is it time for Rip City to start over and trade away its top asset? 

Bookies.com oddsmaker Adam Thompson has used his resources of NBA contacts developed over 20 years covering the league to create his hypothetical NBA futures odds on where Lillard plays for the 2023-24 season. 

Damian Lillard 2023-24 Team Odds

First Bet Up To $1,000

Tap for Promo Activated! Visit site

Used 28 Times Today • Popular in Virginia

Lillard, for his part, has not requested a trade. In fact, he's been so loyal to Portland that he's taken a strange sort of criticism for it during this new era of NBA stars pulling power moves to force their way onto a different team. 

While he's yet to go the KD route, the Blazers are seriously testing his loyalty. Lillard recently said he needs the Blazers to be “fully committed” – in one direction or the other. 

“I think this is our most important offseason since I’ve been here,” Lillard told ESPN. 

Facing Twitter criticism, however, he added on May 18, “If the fans wana trade me … start the petition and send it in.”

Lillard’s health has become a bit of an issue; he played in only 29 games in 2021-22 and just 58 this season, and hasn’t played in 70 games since 2018-19. He’s headed into his age 33 season and is owed more than $200 million over the next four years. 

That’s a huge salary for a team that’s not contending. Portland has a big decision to make. If available, Dame will become target No. 1 for any playoff contender looking to become a title contender. 

Potential Landing Spots For Damian Lillard

The Trail Blazers, at least for the moment, are saying the right things. That includes sending an email out after the NBA Draft lottery, in which they secured the No. 3 overall pick, indicating an excitement to use their two first-round selections to build a contender around Lillard. 

The New York Knicks attempted to go big in acquiring Donovan Mitchell before the Cleveland Cavaliers upped their offer. The Knicks instead acquired Jalen Brunson to play PG and that’s worked well. 

But Dame is another level. When it comes to trading assets, nobody can match the Knicks right now in terms of player and picks packaging. Playing in a massive New York market may entice Lillard, who has been in Portland his entire career. 

The Philadelphia 76ers are seeking a new coach and could be seeking a new ball-dominant point guard with James Harden trending toward exploring his options in free agency. If Harden does leave Philly, the team is in win-now mode before reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid has his own player option to mull in three years. 

The Miami Heat continually seek to add another star to take the pressure off Jimmy Butler, while the Washington Wizards are trying to do the same for Bradley Beal. Both could be connected to Atlanta’s Trae Young if he is made available. 

It also makes the Hawks viable trade partners with the Blazers in a blockbuster swap. The same could be said for the Dallas Mavericks, who could use Kyrie Irving in a sign-and-trade deal. 

The Chicago Bulls have a lot of pieces in place to make such a move, and a huge need at point guard. The Boston Celtics are in a bit of a limbo with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both set for max deals after next season. One of them may have to be moved, and could be the focal point for a Lillard swap. 

The Field includes teams that may love to add a player like Dame, but Portland may be less inclined to deal to them. That's the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors, for starters. The Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets also figure to be Eastern Conference teams that could use a new face of the franchise. Neither team figures to have the projected cap space to make a move without other significant moves around it. 

Up to $1,250 on Caesars

Tap for Promo Activated! Visit site

Used 56 Times Today